Grace Nightwhisper's Guide To: Saving the Spiral
by No Life Here
Summary: Sorry, I'm no good at summaries. Basically, Grace is suddenly transported to Wizard City, where she meets many interesting people and finds out about her past. There may be some Spiral saving going on too, but we'll see about that.
1. Chapter 1

Note: This is a story that I wrote over a year ago and never finished, however I will consider continuing it if it is well received.

* * *

 **Chapter 1- The Last Day of Life as I Knew It**

It was the last day of life as I knew it, and I was sitting at my desk awaiting a terrifying math test. Had I known that it was the last day of life as I knew it, I probably would have stayed home or gone out and done something memorable, but no, I was sitting at my desk, twiddling my thumbs.

My scrawny old math teacher started handing out tests. When he passed me, a strong icy breeze blew past, scattering the papers across the room. Kids hopped out of their seats, grabbing at papers and talking frantically. I got up and closed the door, trying to avert attention away from myself. It was unlikely that anyone suspected that I had anything to do with it, but I wanted to take precautions.

It was fall, and icy breezes weren't all that common where I lived. Things like that, things like random snowflakes and cold breezes, just seemed to follow me. I didn't know why, and I didn't question it, some things are just better left alone.

The rest of the day proceeded in an excruciatingly ordinary manner: I took the math test, I ate lunch alone, I suffered through biology and history, and I walked home, a cool breeze following me the whole time. When I opened the door to my house, I was greeted by unbearably fake smiles and the smell of pot roast. My foster mother asked me how school was today, and I replied with my usual grunt.

My foster parents were good people, but they didn't understand me and I didn't understand them. Sometimes I wished with all my might that I could be like them, normal, pleasant, happy, but sometimes I wished that I could just run away from it all. Above all, I just wished that someone, anyone, understood me. Suffice to say, I'd never really fit in, anywhere.

So I got in my pajamas that night, and hopped into bed, drifting off to sleep so that I could face yet another ordinary day. Although, whether I liked it or not, someone, somewhere out there in the universe, had other plans.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- I Find out That I'm a Mythical Being**

The dream started out normal, I saw myself, walking my usual route to school. Once I had passed the coffee shop though, I took a strange detour down a little alley. The walls were covered in colorful swirling graffiti, so I didn't notice the portal until the owl on the other side said, "Whhoooooo?" Of course, I thought to myself, this is just a dream. No need to panic over the fluffy grey owl wearing a scarf and glasses. An old man with a long white beard and a robe with stars on it came into view. The man looked like a wizard out of a storybook, pointy hat, wand and all.

He peered closer at me, leaning towards the portal. "My vision seems to be failing me," he rasped, "Are you a boy or a girl?"

"Um, a girl…" I scoffed, a little offended. He nodded once and continued.

"All right then! What's your name?"

"Um, Grace…" I replied, partially wondering why he needed to know my name. He was an all- knowing wizard, wasn't he?

"Good, good. Now you must come to Ravenwood at once, so that we may consult the book of secrets and find out what school of magic is right for you." The portal started closing, and the image got blurrier.

"But wait," I shouted, "How do I even get there?"

He didn't wait for my reply, the portal snapped shut and I awoke, drenched in sweat, to the monotonous beeping of my alarm clock.

I got ready for school particularly quickly that morning, eager to investigate the alley from my dream. I already knew that I would find nothing, but I was anxious none the less.

When I walked to school, I followed my dream route to the alley. The same graffiti was there, and the same swirling portal. I just stared at it for long while, too shocked to do anything. I must have been dreaming still. So if the portal was a dream, it was harmless. I relaxed a little. And if it was a dream, what were the consequences of stepping into said dream portal anyways? I stuck a hand into the swirling vortex cautiously, and the matter tickled my fingertips. This wasn't so bad… I closed my eyes and lunged through the portal, it was just a dream after all, wasn't it?

I opened my eyes to a new world. I appeared to be in some sort of an office. Books were stacked willy-nilly all over the floor, the desk, and the book cases. Brightly colored furniture decorated the room. A sudden "Whhoooooo!" broke me from my trance. I turned to see the old man and the owl standing beside a desk, both staring intently at me.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I managed to stutter. The old man grinned at me.

"My name is Merle Ambrose, and this is my owl, Gamma. I am headmaster, here, at the Ravenwood Academy of the Magical Arts."

"Oh…" was all I could say. Magical Arts? Yes, this was definitely a dream, so I just nodded and smiled, as if everything was perfectly normal.

"Come with me, we must consult the Book of Secrets" Ambrose said ominously. I followed him into a backroom, and felt my breath escape me. In the center of the room was a large glowing spiral, shifting and casting colorful lights across the walls. When I looked more closely at it, I noticed tiny chunks of land with buildings on them drifting through the spiral. It was breathtaking.

Ambrose walked over to a book podium and started flipping pages. He started asking me random questions, like my favorite season (winter, duh…), my favorite animal (polar bear, so fluffy…), what I thought was the most powerful force (I chose blizzard, obviously), and what I liked to do and how I spent my time, etc. He finally closed the book and smiled down at me.

"You have chosen the school of Ice," Ambrose said grandly. I just nodded and tried to look like I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"The school of Ice?" I said, grinning, "Aww that's great."

He frowned a little.

"Here, take these," Ambrose said, handing me a small brown book with a spiral on the cover, a shiny stick with a crystal on the top, and what appeared to be a deck of cards. "That is your spell book, deck, and wand. You will need them on your adventures." I just stared at the items for a moment.

"Um…" I tried to think of something to say. "Why do I need a wand?"

"To cast spells with, of course!" Ambrose exclaimed, as if my question was pure ludicrous. I nodded, trying to look less stupid than I felt. I gulped and asked the one question that had been burning at the back of my mind.

"So… Does this mean… I'm…" I gulped. "A wizard?" I wasn't entirely sure why there was a giant knot in my stomach, this was a dream wasn't it? Why would it matter at all if I dreamt I was a wizard? But what if it wasn't a dream… I pushed the thought from my mind.

"Most certainly," Ambrose stated casually, "I thought you knew."

I gulped several times. I set the items that he had given me on the soft rug, and raised a hand to pinch myself. I was finding this dream to be increasingly annoying. I pinched my arm, several times, but nothing appeared to be happening. Ambrose looked at me strangely. "What are you doing?" he said cautiously.

I sighed. "This isn't a dream is it?" I muttered, the knot in my stomach growing. Ambrose shook his head, his beard swaying slightly. I shut my eyes, wanting to crawl under a rock.

I was a wizard. A real wizard. This wasn't a dream. I wasn't imagining this. There was a talking owl eyeing me. I wanted to pass out. But maybe this wasn't so bad. Maybe these people would understand me; I couldn't be the only one, right? Anyways, doesn't everybody dream about having some magical earth- shattering experience happen to them? For the sake of my sanity, please answer _yes_ to both of these questions.

Ambrose smiled awkwardly. "I'll have someone show you around." And with that, he left. Poof, presto, abracadabra, gone. Out of thin air. I had to learn that trick…

A while later (I couldn't tell if it was minutes or hours), someone poofed into the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-** **I go to Magic School**

The girl in front of me popped her gum obnoxiously and looked me up and down, assessing. I did the same to her. She looked about my age, sixteen or so, tall, with fiery red hair and piercing silver eyes. She wore a strange robe and hat, both in vibrant pink and red. There was something about her that put me on edge, something about her skeptical smile that just said "Watch out". This girl scared me.

She stuck a perfectly manicured hand out, "Keena Rubycatcher," she said, "Magus Pyromancer." I shook her hand.

"Grace…" I paused, realizing that I didn't have a funny last name or fancy title to give her. Keena gave me a sly grin.

"You're a Novice Thaumaturge, right?" she stated more than asked. "Figures." She let out a little pity sigh. "You Thaumaturges aren't exactly known for your intelligence…"

She had just insulted me. She didn't even know me, and she insulted me. I smiled widely, "Well, you know us Thaumaturges…" I picked my things up off of the floor and turned to face her. "So how's this gonna go exactly?" I asked, looking into the eyes of the beast.

"Well," she sighed, "Ambrose asked me to show you around… I guess you're too stupid to find your classroom by yourself." She pinched her lips together and headed for the door. I shook my head in disgust and followed her.

We stepped out into a brightly colored street, with dozens of people milling around wearing weird clothes and riding strange creatures. _Just go with it, Grace._ Keena yanked my arm and led me through a dark cobblestone tunnel. I was just about to yell at her, when I caught sight of the humongous tree on the other side. Its great branches seemed to move and sway as if it were alive, which was actually quite likely, due to the fact that the tree had a giant face with one blinking eye. Where its second eye should have been, there was just a large gaping hole. I tried not to stare, but I couldn't help it.

"That's Bartleby," Keena smirked. She turned to the left and started walking, pointing at each building like a tour guide. "That's the Life school; I call it hippie central… Over there is the Myth school, avoid the teacher, he's a jerk… That," She said, pointing at a huge gaping hole, "Was where the Death school was. Tragic, really. No one knows where it went…" She didn't seem that upset though. Keena pointed to a tall boy in a black jester's hat. "That's Malorn Ashthorn. He's filling in as the Death teacher, for now." She blushed a little and waved as we walked past him. "This is the Fire school, and by far the best school, in my opinion. Over there, that's Ice…" A look of disgust crossed her face. "Past that is the Storm school… I expect you can walk to the door by yourself?" She walked back towards the fire school without waiting for an answer.

The Ice school had a majestic look to it. Snow piled against the walls and the top was decorated with a mural of falling snow. I felt a cool breeze blow from inside as I approached, and I suddenly felt at ease. I pulled open the doors to face a full classroom. A small fairy fluttered at the front of the room, who I assumed was the teacher.

I could feel everyone's eyes on my back as I walked up to her. I cleared my throat. "Um… I'm Grace… I'm new…" For a moment the fairy just stared blankly at me, and then she perked up.

"Oh, Grace! I heard you were coming. Take a seat, take a seat, we just started." She paused for a second. "I'm Lydia Greyrose, by the way, your Ice Magic Professor."

I nodded and smiled politely. I scanned the room for a seat. There was only one seat left, in the back, next to a very distracted looking boy. I quickly took my seat, and glanced over at the boy next to me. He looked about my age, maybe a little older. He had shaggy blond hair and friendly green eyes. He smiled at me.

"Hey, I'm Luis. Luis Raventalon." He winked at me. "I'm an almighty and all- powerful Aprentice. Oh yeah, you heard correctly. _Apprentice_." He winked again. "I can cast _Snow Serpent_ … I know, I know, pretty awesome, right?" I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"I'm Grace," I said, then struggled to remember what Keena had called me. "Novice." Luis smiled a great big smile again, and then tapped the shoulder of a girl with blue hair in front of us. She turned to face us.

"Grace this is Jackie, Jackie say hi to Grace."

She smiled shyly. "Hey, I'm Jaqueline Iceblood. You're new here, right?"

"Yeah, I just got here," I said, nodding.

Professor Greyrose clicked her tongue and glared at our corner of the room. "If you're all done chatting, can we please get on with the lesson?" My face turned hot, but Jaqueline just grinned and Luis let out a little laugh. Apparently getting busted by the teacher wasn't too big of a deal here.

We all turned our attention to the front of the classroom. Professor Greyrose had drawn a picture of what appeared to be some kind of beetle. "Okay class, who here can tell me which spell this is?" she said, motioning toward the blackboard. A boy with long white hair raised his hand, and she pointed at him.

"That is a Frost Beetle, Rank 1 Ice spell," he said smugly.

"Good, good, thank you Connor," Greyrose replied. "Now, how many pips does this spell use?" Jaqueline raised her hand.

"One pip, Professor," Jaqueline said.

"Thank you, Jaqueline," She looked around the classroom. "Can someone please come up here and demonstrate the Ice spell symbol. Luis Raventalon?" Luis was checking out his reflection in his wand. I nudged him and he looked up.

"Spell symbol," I whispered, and he walked up to the front of the classroom. He drew a sparkling blue snowflake-like symbol in the air with his wand. Greyrose beamed.

"Perfect, thank you Luis," she said, "Now remember class, we will have a quiz on all Level One through Ten spells tomorrow. You are dismissed."

I got up and walked out of the classroom with Luis and Jaqueline. "How am I supposed to take this quiz?" I muttered. "I just got here; I can't even cast a spell yet."

"Don't worry, I'll help you study," Jaqueline said, "Come on, I think your books should be at your dorm by now."

"Dorm?"

"Yeah, your dorm. Where did you think you were staying?" Luis scoffed. Jaqueline rolled her eyes at him.

"Come on, I'll show you the dorms," she said, grabbing my hand and leading me towards a tower. "What dorm number are you?"

"I dunno…" I panted as we ran into the tower. Jaqueline sighed and shook her head. She went over to a book pedestal in the corner and started flipping through the pages.

"Room 5, Floor 23," she read. Jaqueline motioned for me to follow her, and we ascended several flights of stairs. When she finally signaled that we were on the correct floor, I collapsed on the ground, laying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. My heart thumped in my chest and sweat tickled my brow. I was clearly not used to so much exercise.

Jaqueline grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. "Come on, lazy pants, your room is right over there." She dragged me into a small circular room with two windows, a bed, a night table, and a small desk. A tall stack of books sat on the desk, all blue with titles like "Introduction to Ice Magic", "History of Ice" and "Thaumaturgy for Dummies." I wasn't sure how I was going to carry all of those books around until I finally realized that I still had my backpack on.

When I went through the portal, I had been on my way to school. All of my books and supplies were still neatly tucked in the brown canvas backpack on my back. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before. I walked over to the desk and shook out all the unnecessary supplies out of my backpack. I kept all of my pens and pencils and shoved all of my new wizard books into the pack. I grabbed my old school supplies and turned to Jaqueline. She was staring intently at something on my bed.

"Hey, Jaqueline," I said, "Is there anywhere I can throw these away?"

"Yeah, yeah, but first, come here." I walked over to her and looked at what she was holding. It appeared to be some sort of cloak, colored a bright blue and white. She smiled. "Your robes are here. Come on, put them on."

I looked at the brightly colored fabrics, and then at my jeans and plain T shirt. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing! Well… Just put these on, all the Novices have to wear them."

I sighed in defeat and took the robes from her. She squealed a little and ran out of the room so that I could change. I put the robes on and attempted to look at my reflection in the window panes. I looked utterly ridiculous. I groaned and called Jaqueline back in. She smiled widely.

"You. Look. A- mazing!" She squealed. I winced.

"Thanks…" I muttered.

"Hey, let's go meet up with Luis and get some lunch! I'm starving." Jaqueline said.

"Okay," I said, my stomach rumbling.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4** \- **I Become the Almighty Queen of Bacon**

We met up with Luis in what appeared to be a cafeteria. He was sitting at a table with another boy. The boy had short black hair and green eyes, and he smiled at us as we walked up. "So you're the new girl," he said as I sat down. He stuck his hand out to me from across the table. "I'm Digby Froggiver, Apprentice Theurgist." I chuckled as I shook his hand.

"Digby… Digby _Froggiver_?" I laughed. Digby frowned.

"It's a family name…" he said sadly. He was serious about his name. I immediately stopped laughing. My face grew hot.

"Grace," I said, "Novice Thaumaturge." Jaqueline glanced between us, and there was an awkward silence.

"Well, I did the amazingly wonderful thing of getting you guys some food!" Luis said gleefully, breaking the silence. He pushed a heaping plate of bacon over to us.

"That's just… It's all… Luis that's _bacon_ ," I said.

"What, you got a problem with bacon?" he said, somewhat defensively.

"No, no, no…" I shoved some bacon in my mouth. "I'm like, the _queen_ of bacon."

"Grace, the Bacon Queen." Jaqueline chuckled through a mouth full of bacon. Luis smirked.

"Well _I'm_ the Bacon OVERLORD!" he exclaimed. We all burst out laughing, and I almost choked on bacon. We were interrupted though by a low groan from Digby.

"Oh no, not again…" He moaned, and we all turned to see what he was looking at. A small commotion had started in the center of the cafeteria, and a few people were shouting.

A tall boy about Digby's age stood in the middle of a crowd of students. Static sizzled in the air around him, and his blue eyes glowed with energy. His purple cape whipped wildly in some unseen wind, and he lifted his wand. "You're gonna regret that, Rubycatcher!" he exclaimed. Suddenly, he drew a rune in the air, and chaos broke free.

A massive snake materialized out of nowhere, and lightning clanged in the air above. The boy pointed at a red haired girl, and the snake attacked. The girl pulled a card from her deck just in the nick of time, and a purple shield with a thundercloud on it appeared in front of her. The snake crashed into her shield, sending her flying. When the girl stood back up, I recognized her to be Keena Rubycatcher. She didn't seem to be very hurt, and she pulled another card from her deck. Keena smiled wickedly.

A huge fiery phoenix lunged at the boy, burning him badly. I turned to Digby, who was wincing. "Who is that?" I said, pointing at the boy.

"That," he winced again as a swarm of bats attacked Keena. "Is Wolf Skyhammer," he put his face in his hands. "My brother." My eyes widened, and I looked between the two brothers. They both had crazy black hair, but that seemed to be where the similarities ended. Wolf was tall and dashing, and Digby was shorter and had a friendlier look to him. Digby seemed to dislike violence, but Wolf clearly thrived on it. There was a loud crash.

Merle Ambrose materialized in the center of the room, and the two wizards stopped in their tracks. Ambrose raised his staff in an authoritative manner and said, "Both of you, to my office, now!" in a booming voice. The two students poofed away, with Ambrose following shortly after. The crowd quickly dispersed and the cafeteria regained its peaceful chatter.

I turned back to Digby, who was nervously picking at his bacon. "What was that all about?" I asked him.

"Wolf has issues…" Jaqueline muttered.

Digby ignored her and replied, "Wolf doesn't like Keena, because of a bunch of relationship stuff I don't wanna get into right now, but long story short they hate each other's guts. Wolf… He thinks he can handle everything with a fight." Digby sighed.

"So what's that got to do with you?" I asked, because the whole situation seemed to be getting on his nerves.

"I'm not even a year older than Wolf, but my parents still hold me responsible for everything he does. 'Digby's older, Digby should take care of him.'" he rolled his eyes. "They need to stop babying him, I mean, he is different, but not that different."

"Different?" I said, "What do you mean, different?" Jaqueline's eyes widened and Luis started casually whistling. Digby froze.

"Nothing. I meant nothing." He shoved some more bacon in his mouth and started humming. I just met these people, so I didn't know them very well, but I knew that they were acting strange.

"Fine, don't tell me," I said nonchalantly, curiosity bubbling up inside of me. We all finished our bacon, and I walked back to the dorms with Jaqueline.

"What was that about?" I asked her. She looked at something off in the distance.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." She sighed. I sighed too. I obviously wasn't going to get anyone to tell me. We walked over to her dorm room, which, thank goodness, was only on the third floor. Her walls were covered in dark blue wallpaper with falling snow painted on it. Her bed was blue, her desk had the ice symbol on it, and several ice banners decorated her walls. It was beautiful.

"Where did you get all of this?" I asked, motioning around the room. "My dorm just has plain furniture."

"Oh," she giggled. "I bought it all at the Bazaar. You can decorate your dorm too, you know."

"I'd like that."

Jaqueline squinted her eyes all of the sudden, as if an idea had occurred to her. "Hey," she said, "Shouldn't you have a secondary class right now?" I raised an eyebrow, causing her to sigh in exasperation. "Hasn't anyone told you anything? What world are you from anyways?"

"Earth… Why? Aren't you?"

"Oh," she said, "That makes so much more sense. I was born and raised in Wizard City, so I already knew about magic… But Earth doesn't believe in magic, does it?" she said sadly. I shook my head.

"But… There are other kids from Earth here, right?" I asked, for reassurance.

"Not really. Wizards from Earth are extremely rare; one only shows up every fifty years or so, and even then they're all usually born here. You're kind of an anomaly, although your parents are probably wizards."

A question pushed into my mind, but I shoved it away in favor of a different one. "If I was born here, then how did I get to Earth?"

"Who knows? Teleportation accident, maybe, or kidnapping. Your parents might have just left you though… Oh gosh Grace I didn't mean it like that…" One look at my face told the whole story. She had just told me my parents had left me, maybe because I wasn't good enough, or they didn't want me. Whatever the case, they weren't there then and they weren't here now, so it didn't really matter.

Jaqueline was frowning at me with a concerned look, like she'd just broken me. I forced a small smile. "It's okay," I said, "You didn't mean it." Her frown deepened, and I saw the gears turning in her head.

"Hey, wanna go somewhere fun?" She asked. I nodded and she dragged me out of the room. Jaqueline ushered me out of Ravenwood, through the tunnel to a place I learned was the Commons, and then told me to cover my eyes. She led me up a hill, and then said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

I was standing in front of a huge carousel in what appeared to be some sort of fairground. Jaqueline smiled widely.

"So, what do you think?"

"I think," I said, pausing, "I want to ride that carousel."

She giggled and climbed on top of a huge fire dragon, I, however, chose to ride the storm shark. The carousel spun frantically and we both laughed like children, despite our age. Jaqueline waved to someone, and I saw Digby standing next to the carousel, just staring at us with a small smile on his face.

"Come join us, Digby!" I shouted at him over the music of the carousel. He bit his lip, considering, and then ran up and hopped onto the spinning merry-go-round. Digby latched onto a fire cat, and joined us in our laughter. I saw a flash and a blur, and then Luis was on the blood bat behind me.

"I'm a pro at riding merry-go-rounds!" he shouted, "Watch and learn fools!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- I Learn Magic From Talking Animals**

The rest of the day went by quickly, and very uneventfully. Jaqueline taught me about secondary schools, so I woke up the next day with a mission. I needed to choose my secondary school before 8:00 a.m., when my primary school would start. Jaqueline also went over all of the spells I would need to know for the quiz, so I felt prepared. I'd never done exceptionally well in regular school, but this seemed different.

So I walked out of my dorm room, silly robes equipped, wand in my hand, and backpack on my back. I walked into the Life classroom first, and almost had a heart attack. A large cow in a green kimono was sitting at the teacher's desk, humming quietly. I walked up nervously, wiping my palms on my robes to get rid of the sweat building on them.

"Excuse me?" I said, and the cow looked up at me. "Um, I'm Grace, and, um, I'm new, and I, um, I need a secondary school, so I was just, uh, wondering if you could, um, tell me more about the, uh, Life school?" I felt like my face was on fire, and it most undoubtedly looked like it too. The cow took it incredible well though.

"Of course dear," the cow said, "My name is Moolinda Wu, and I am the Life Magic Professor." She went on to tell me more about the school itself and what kind of spells it focused on. I thanked the cow and backed out quickly.

The next school was Myth, and I had a sinking feeling about it. Turns out I was right, because my conversation with the bald professor went terribly. He insulted me, and made sure I was aware of how incompetent he thought I was. The next school went a little better, perhaps because there was no school. I just talked to the student next to the gap, and he offered to teach me a few spells.

My skin crawled as I entered the Fire school, and one glance at the professor and I was turning on my heels. I didn't mean to be rude, but the scorch marks on the ceiling and the flame-like appearance of the Fire Professor just made knots in my stomach. Fire was not for me, and it made sense. I was an Ice wizard, after all.

I walked past the Ice school, and suddenly grew worried. I only had two more schools left, and none of the schools seemed right for me yet. I entered the Storm classroom with a lump in my throat. There was already a student speaking with the Professor, so I stood to the side of the room.

"You think that Malistaire is behind this?" the Storm Professor croaked. It took me a minute to realize that he was, in fact, a small frog in a purple suit.

"Of course Malistaire is doing it! He's behind all of the other trouble happening in Wizard City, why not this?" the boy talking to him said excitedly. Trouble in Wizard City?

"I'm sorry Mr. Silvertalon, but I just don't think that Malistaire is causing everyone to fizzle!" I had heard of fizzling, although I had never actually seen it. It was when your spell simply didn't work, it just, well, fizzled.

"Just think about it Professor, Malistaire raised the dead to take over Wizard City, why wouldn't he rig our spells to fizzle too? I've been fizzling a lot since I've been here, and I think he might be at the root of the problem."

"Mark, have you taken into consideration your pour accuracy statistics?" the Storm Professor sighed.

"Well, no… But this is real, I'm telling you! It's a conspiracy!"

"Mark, if this is all you wanted to discuss with me, can you please let the other students have a turn?" he said, gesturing towards me. I blushed. The boy stormed past me grumpily, and I walked over to the frog.

I told him why I was here, and he assured me that he would be happy to teach me the ways of Storm, and help me release my "INNER THUNDA!" I thought that the Storm school wasn't too bad; it was an option, at least.

I next spoke with the dog in the top hat standing outside of Bartleby, the tree with the face. I was slowly adjusting to wizard life, and the weirdness that followed it. The dog told me about himself, and about the school of balance. Apparently there wasn't an actual school for balance in Ravenwood, the real school was back in Krokotopia, but he was offering to teach students here.

After speaking with the dog, I decided to sit down next to Kelvin, the Ice tree. All of the six schools had a tree that represented it, and these trees talked, so I started up quite a pleasant conversation with Kelvin. If someone had told me a few days ago that I would be talking with a tree, I would have called them a liar, but now, anything was possible.

It was 7:56 and class was about to start, so I saw Luis and Jaqueline walking towards me, whispering excitedly. "Hey, you find a secondary school yet?" said Luis.

I shook my head. "I'm kinda leaning towards Storm, but Balance seems cool."

"Well, my secondary school is Life," said Jaqueline, "It's really nice, Moolinda is so sweet."

"My secondary is Death," said Luis with an ominous tone. "So prepare to DIE!" he shouted, playfully chasing us into the Ice classroom. We all collapsed in our seats, laughing.

The lesson was actually quite interesting, and I thought I did well on the spell quiz. Afterwards, we were dismissed for lunch and we all walked to the cafeteria together. Luis set a few heaping plates of bacon in front of us again, which I scarfed down. In my rush to pick a secondary school, I had forgotten to eat breakfast. I was starving. At some point during the meal, a boy from Ice that I recognized as Connor walked by. He whispered something that sounded like "Dirty meat lovers" under his breath.

After lunch, Digby decided to show me around the Commons on a tour. The Commons was really quite beautiful. There were several cottages surrounding a beautiful meadow with a huge pond in the middle, with water so clear it looked like ice. There was one big tree, near the Headmaster's office, so Digby led me to sit down beneath it.

"So what do you think of the place so far?" he said, gazing into my eyes.

"It's amazing," I said, honestly, "Everything here is just so different from where I come."

Digby chuckled at the look of awe on my face as I glanced around the Commons. He tilted his head a little to look at me, and seemed as if he was trying to build up the courage to say something. He leaned a little closer to me, but was suddenly interrupted by a series of shouts from the other end of the Commons. We both looked up.

"Digby! Digby! Dddddddiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggbbbbbbbyyyyyyyyyy!" I saw that the boy shouting and running towards us was Wolf Skyhammer, Digby's brother. He stopped, panting, in front of us. "Dude. Digby. You got any crowns? I wanna buy this new pack that just came out."

Digby put his palm to his face. "Wolf, I'm not giving you any crowns."

"I'll tell Mom you broke her vase from Mooshu."

"What? Wait, you broke Mom's vase!" Digby gasped. "She's gonna kill you!"

"No, she's gonna kill you, unless you give me some crowns."

Digby sighed in defeat. "Whatever, take your stupid crowns."

"Thanks, bro," Wolf said, smiling wickedly. He seemed to notice me sitting there just then. He gave me a nod. "Digby, who's your friend?"

Digby seemed to tense up a bit. "Grace. Now can you please just leave, you got your crowns."

"Nah, I think I'll hang with you guys a bit," he said, eying me. He plopped down on the grass in between Digby and me, which was a considerably small space, so he was now pressed up against both of us. The whole situation just got incredibly more awkward. "So, what school are you in?" he asked me. He turned to face me, which left his face hardly an inch away from mine. Digby was seething.

"Um, Ice," I murmured, looking down at my hands in my lap.

"Oh, Ice is a nice school," Wolf said.

Digby's face was a bright red as he stood up. He snatched my hand and yanked me up, dragging me off towards the library. "Come on Grace, let's go somewhere else. You don't want to talk to that jerk." Wolf shouted something undecipherable as we ran through the library doors.

Digby shut the door behind us, and led me up to the shelves on the second floor. We sat down in a corner and he sighed. "Sorry about that…" he trailed. I just looked at my shoes, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, I was saved by the bell. A long chiming noise rang through the Commons, summoning the students to their secondary classes. Digby offered his hand to help me up, and I accepted. We walked back to Ravenwood in silence.

When we neared Bartleby, Digby asked, "So what's your secondary?"

"I dunno," I muttered, "I haven't actually decided yet."

"You could come do Myth, with me…" he offered. I shook my head.

"The teacher creeps me out."

He laughed at this. "I think he creeps everyone out." Digby checked his watch. "Well I gotta get going, good luck with whichever school you choose." He smiled at me.

"Thanks," I said, smiling back. He walked off, and I was left to ponder my secondary school. I eventually settled for Storm, because the final bell was chiming and the dog man kinda freaked me out.

I went to sit down, scanning the room for familiar faces. I didn't see anyone I recognized, so I sat alone in the back corner, near the door. A girl about my age slipped through the door and sat next to me just as the Storm Professor, Halston Balestrom, turned to take attendance. The girl was Death, by the looks of her. She had dark robes, dark eyes, and dark hair that fell across her face at an odd angle. She kind of freaked me out at first, but she seemed friendly enough.

When Professor Balestrom was done taking attendance, he asked for the names of the new students. The girl next to me groaned. "Myrna Ravenbane," she said.

"Grace," I said when it was my turn. Balestrom gave me a funny look.

"Just Grace?" he asked. I nodded.

I never knew my parents, so I never had a last name. Back on Earth the last names were different though, things like Smith and Johnson, not like Froggiver or Raventalon. So even if I did have a last name, it wouldn't have fit in. Although, Wolf and Digby didn't share the same last name. Maybe it wasn't a family thing here, maybe I could have my own name. I made a mental note to ask someone about it later.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- I Get a Shiny New Name**

Balestrom began the lesson, and by the end of the day I could cast a pretty decent Thunder Snake. Afterwards, I headed over to Ambrose's tower to ask him about a last name.

When I approached the tower I heard voices coming from inside. It sounded like Ambrose and his owl, Gamma, and I didn't want to disturb them, so I leaned against the wooden door and waited. Coincidentally, it was also an exceptional spot for eavesdropping. I didn't intend to eavesdrop, at first, but their urgent voices drew me closer to the door frame.

"Look, Gamma! Finally, we have found one!" Ambrose exclaimed.

"Whoooo?!" came Gamma's voice.

"A young Wizard! A student with amazing potential… enough, perhaps, to save Wizard City!"

This troubled me, twice now, I had heard of some mysterious threat to Wizard City.

"Oh really?" Gamma cooed, "Where?"

"A very, very distant realm… My goodness! On a world that does not even believe in magic!"

Could this wizard be from Earth too?

"I wonder what manner of Wizard they might become. Perhaps we should consult the Book of Secrets…"

It grew quiet all of the sudden, and I waited a minute or two before knocking. I heard Ambrose's voice calling me, so I crept open the door. "Excuse me, sir, but I had a question. If this isn't the right time I can come back later…"

"No, no, ask away young wizard." Ambrose urged.

"I was wondering," I paused, "About my last name." I waited for something to sink in, for him to exclaim "Why of course!" and tell me who I was. But he said nothing, he just stood there, staring intently at me while stroking his long white beard. "I was just, uh, wondering if I had one. Or if I could get one? I'm not sure how that works here." Ambrose finally jumped in.

"Here, in Wizard City, every wizard has his or her own last name. They can either choose it on their own, or consult the Book of Secrets. Do you wish to get a last name, Grace?"

"Um," I mumbled. I realized then that the only reason I had come here was to try to make a connection to my family, but that wasn't going to happen. I sighed. "Yeah, I mean yes, I would like to get a last name."

"Would you like to choose by yourself, or consult the Book?"

"Can I…"

"Yes?"

"Can I see the Book of Secrets, please?"

Ambrose led me to the book pedestal in a corner of the room. "Just turn the pages, and the Book will guide you." It sounded a lot easier than it looked. Let the book "guide" me, sure, of course, that makes sense. I sighed and opened the book.

The second I did so, words started swirling around on the pages. I saw the words "fairy", "blade", "mist", and "golden" zoom by on the page, and I was suddenly confused. Was I supposed to just pick a word or two for my name? Was this it? I rested my hand on the page, and the words started glowing. Words flew across the page, fading and glowing and fading again. It happened so fast that I hardly noticed when the page went completely blank.

I lifted my hand from the page, and gasped. I understood now. I wasn't choosing the words, the words were choosing me. And the name that chose me was beautiful.

Ambrose frowned. "Grace Nightwhisper. I'll have to change your registration papers." And with that, he left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- I Freeze Digby**

I joined the others for dinner in the cafeteria, eager to tell them about my new name. Unfortunately, some commotion seemed to be going on at our table.

"No, I will not leave. I can sit where ever I want!" said a voice that sounded a lot like Wolf.

"Then can you want to sit somewhere else?!" Digby shouted.

"C'mon Digby, he can sit here, he's not bugging anyone," Jaqueline cut in.

"Why does _everyone_ want to sit with me!" screamed Luis in mock annoyance.

I walked over quickly and set my hands down on the table. "Everybody stop!" I shouted. Everyone froze and looked at me. I sighed. "Now that I have your attention, what's the problem here?"

"Digby won't let me-" Wolf started.

Digby cut him off, "Wolf is being a noob!"

"Who's calling who a noob?!" Wolf exclaimed, pulling out his wand. This was going to get bad, and fast, if I didn't do anything. I pulled out my wand, trying to remember the name of a spell I had read about in my "Thaumaturgy for Dummies" book.

I drew the ice symbol in the air, just as Wolf grabbed a Lightning Bat card from his deck. I sure hoped that this would work without a card. "Freeze!" I shouted, and both boys stopped in their tracks, dazed looks crossing their faces. Jaqueline gasped.

"Grace! How did you do that?!" she exclaimed. I shrugged, and put my wand back into my backpack. I walked over to Digby and Wolf, hoping I hadn't done anything permanent. I tapped Digby on the arm, and he gasped to life. He whipped his head around, astonished.

"What'd you do that for?!" he shouted.

"I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," I mumbled, suddenly finding my shoes to be very interesting.

Digby sighed. "You gonna unfreeze Wolf?" I nodded slightly. "Oh," he said in a disappointed voice. I walked over to Wolf and tapped him on the shoulder. He shuddered back to life. He glanced at me, and then over to Digby.

"You're a lucky duck, Digby. This time." He scowled, storming away through the cafeteria. It was at that moment that I noticed the hundreds of eyes staring at us. I should have expected a crowd, Wolf's fight drew one yesterday, but I couldn't help but be a little surprised.

I scowled at Digby. "Why were you two fighting?"

"He… He just wanted to sit down. It was stupid."

"You got that right," Jaqueline said under her breath.

"What do you have against him anyways?" I asked, sitting down.

"Doesn't matter," Digby mumbled.

I suddenly remembered what I had wanted to tell them. "Hey, guess where I just was."

"An assassin's camp," Luis said in a serious voice.

"Nope."

"The Commons?" Jaqueline asked in a bored voice.

"Nope."

"C'mon, just tell us," Digby moaned.

"Okay, okay. I was at the Headmaster's office. I got a last name."

Jaqueline's eyes widened. "You can do that?!"

"Who cares?" Digby said excitedly, "What's your name Grace?"

"Nightwhisper." I smiled.

"Nightwhisper?" Luis asked wearily. The three of them exchanged glances. It was quiet for a moment.

"You know what," Digby piped up, "Congrats, Grace. You finally have a full name."

Conversation then moved on to a more normal topic, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Why had they all gone silent? Was my name bad for some reason? Or did they just think that it was stupid? I finally decided to just ignore it, and proceeded to devour two plates full of bacon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- I Turn Into a Human Icicle**

Almost three full weeks had gone by since I had arrived at Wizard City, and I was fully settled in. I had decorated my dorm, I was the top of my class (Initiate, now), and I had three awesome friends. It was more than I could have ever dreamed of back on Earth, and my life had finally taken a turn for the better.

I still couldn't help but worry though, about Wizard City's possible impending doom, and about my mysterious name. I had fought several different mobs all over Wizard City, but I knew it was just population control. Ambrose had yet to give me, or any of us, a proper quest. In fact, he seemed to be ignoring the problem altogether. In my weeks here I had figured out that a man named Malistaire had tormented Wizard City, raised the dead, and caused monsters to roam all the streets. And Ambrose was doing nothing about it.

My name, however, I had learned absolutely nothing about, just that whenever I told people my name they winced, or grew silent, or backed away slowly. So I either had an extremely stupid name, or a cursed one. I frequently visited the library in the Commons, but I was unable to find anything so far.

Today though, turned out to be a very important day, because today was when Malistaire decided to strike. I was walking around in the Commons with Jaqueline, minding my own business, when the sky ripped open and a man flew out. I didn't get a good look at him, but he wore dark robes and carried a large staff. Two dragons flew closely behind him.

The man and his minion broke into Golem Tower, and we all held our breath. A storm brewed above the tower, and large crashes sounded from the top floor. A battle was commencing. It seemed like hours before Ambrose descended from the tower, ushering a boy over to his office. I heard whispers of "new kid", "fought Malistaire", and "Novice". The only thing I seemed to notice though was the boy's blue jeans, brown T shirt, and hoodie. Earth clothes.

I stood frozen there for what seemed to be hours, not noticing when Jaqueline left me, or when Luis came and waved a hand in front of my face, or when it started to rain. I just stood there, waiting for the boy from Earth to come out. I just stood there, because I needed to know that he was real. I just stood there, because I already knew, deep down, that he was the answer. He was what Ambrose had been waiting for.

Rain pooled on the brim of my hat, but I hardly noticed. What I did notice, however, was when the icicles started to hang from my hat, causing it to sag over my eyes. My robes were frosty, and my shoes were frozen to the ground. Frost started to sprout from my feet, running across the ground in spiny tendrils. This quickly escalated, and pretty soon the entire Commons was coated in a thin layer of ice, and the pond was frozen over. Snowflakes drifted from the sky and fell in piles upon the icy streets. I just looked around in awe and disbelief at the winter wonderland around me. I had caused this. I must have been awfully anxious…

I was too preoccupied with removing the icicles from my hat and dislodging my feet from the ice that I hardly noticed when the boy stepped out of Ambrose's office. He shivered and stared wide eyed at the snow around him, which, I realized, had not been there a few minutes ago. I finally freed my feet, but then realized that it would do me absolutely no good. I had no idea how to unfreeze the Commons.

The boy gazed around himself in awe, and then turned to me. His jaw dropped. I couldn't even imagine what I must have looked like, standing there, a stricken look on my face, feet refreezing, and icicles hanging from my hat.

"D-did you d-do this?" he said, shivering. I closed my mouth, which I suddenly realized had been hanging open, and walked over to him. I took a closer look at him, at his golden eyes, his soft brown hair, and his stunning features. Our breath made vapor in the air, but I wasn't cold anymore.

"You're from Earth… Right?" I asked quietly, ignoring his question completely. We were the only two people left in the Commons. Everything felt very still, while I awaited his answer, and the only sound was that of the falling snow. He nodded slightly.

"W-w-why did you f-f-freeze everything?" he stuttered, wrapping his Earth hoodie more tightly around him. I frowned, and looked down at my shoes, which were already starting to freeze to the snow.

"I… I don't know." I sighed. "I was anxious…" My pale face turned red as I realized just what I had said.

"Why?" He wasn't shivering anymore.

"Because… Because of you." He blushed, and I hurried to correct myself. "Because you're from Earth." I paused, hoping he'd understand. He frowned a little. "I'm from Earth too… But I'm the only one. Well, was the only one." He contemplated this for a moment, then reached his hand out to me and grinned.

"Dylan Dreamstrider," he said, "Balance… I think…"

"Grace Nightwhisper," I said, smiling. "I'm Ice."

"Really?" he said, laughing a little. "I would have never guessed." Dylan looked around at the icy Commons, smiling at me. I blushed, then shivered a little. This made him laugh even more. "I didn't know Ice wizards got cold." He smirked, but then handed me his hoodie. I put it on reluctantly, but as soon as I had, I was grateful. I hadn't realized how cold it was out here, and anyways, the sweater smelled like him. My stomach fluttered as I thought this, but I wasn't entirely sure why.

"So how do you like it here?" Dylan said, waking me from my thoughts. "It looks a lot different than Earth…"

"Well, I've only actually been here for about three weeks," I said, welcoming the change in conversation, "But I really like it here. It's different from Earth, but in a good way. For me, at least," I added, glancing down at my feet. When I looked back up, he met my eyes, smiling at me slightly. I was so entranced, I didn't even hear the office door creak open.

"Grace! What have you done?!" Ambrose gasped, looking wildly around at the Commons. His eyes then rested on me. In Dylan's hoodie. His gaze drifted over to Dylan. "Dylan. My office. _Now_." I had never heard Ambrose so angry; it sent a shiver down my back. Dylan ran up the stairs to Ambrose's office, keeping his head down. He opened the door, and paused. He glanced back at me, worry written all over his face. Ambrose turned to glare at him, the sunlight catching on his monocle. It had stopped snowing. Dylan slipped into the office, the door closing behind him with a small click. Ambrose turned back to me. "Go. I never want to see your nasty face here again." I stood there in shock, not quite comprehending what he had just said. "Go!" his voiced boomed, echoing off of the ice.

I ran from the Commons, not sure where I was going until I saw Bartleby. I slipped inside the world tree, and walked up to the Spiral door. I froze the Commons. Ambrose banished me. Ambrose banished me because I froze the Commons? I ran it over again and again in my head, but it still didn't make sense. Where was I supposed to go? I had never even seen another world in the Spiral before.

I took a shaky breath, closed my eyes, turned the door knob, and slipped through.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9- A Whole New World**

I opened my eyes to the same exact place I had been in before. I looked behind me, where the Spiral door stood ajar. I could see through to the other side, and immediately felt very stupid. What had I done wrong?

All of the sudden, a huge booming voice resonated throughout the massive tree. "You need a key," Bartleby sang.

"Where do I get one?" I shouted at the majestic mess of twisting branches that was the ceiling of the world tree.

"You make one," Bartleby said simply. I looked around me, trying to figure out how on earth I was to make a Spiral Key, then an idea occurred to me. But it couldn't be that simple, could it?

I cupped my hands together, closing my eyes and trying to imagine a key. I tried to work quickly, fretting that Ambrose might show up at any moment and challenge me to a duel or something. My hands grew cold, and I opened them to reveal a perfect key of ice. I wasted no time inserting the key into the Spiral door.

When I opened the door, a huge swirling vortex opened up in front of me. I closed my eyes and stepped in.

The last thing I remembered was landing face down on hot stone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- I Meet the World's Worst Dad**

I awoke on a hard stone floor. I slowly sat up, my shoulders and back aching. Looking around, I saw that I was in a small cell. Three of the walls were made of crude red and purple stone I had never seen before, and the other wall was made of thick iron bars. I walked up to the bars, and then a thought slipped into my mind. Where was my wand? I checked my robes, but my wand, spell deck, backpack, and spell book were all missing. Whoever had imprisoned me had to have my things. Panic bubbled within me.

I scanned the hallway in front of my cell for guards, putting a hand on one of the bars. Frost began to spread up the bar, and I got an idea. I froze the bar solid, stepped back, and kicked it with the sole of my shoe. The bar shattered, spraying pieces of cold iron everywhere. A small shard nicked my cheek, but I just wiped the blood off with my sleeve and ignored it. I had more pressing matters to attend to.

I stormed down the hallway, frost following me in my footsteps. Icy tendrils crept up the walls, leaving a frosty trail in my path. I just kept walking through the halls, up the stairs, and around corners, not seeming to get anywhere. I never changed my pace, and my calm demeanor shocked me. I was as cool as ice.

Finally, I came to a stop in a large round room. The air simmered, leaving me out of breath. "Welcome." A cold voice echoed through the room. It was dark, and I couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" I shouted, as bravely as I could manage. "Show yourself!"

"What?" The voice said, in mock surprise. A tall man with long black hair and dark piercing eyes stepped forward. "You don't recognize your own father?" he sneered.

I stared at the man for a moment, frozen in time. This man, who claimed to be my father. This man, who didn't even know me. This man, that looked nothing like me. He had to be lying. I knew he was. I had blond hair, his was black. I had blue eyes, his were dark. I was short, he was tall. I was Ice, and he most certainly wasn't. And I was good. And he was bad.

I shook my head at his little joke. "Tell me the truth." I demanded.

He threw his head back and laughed at me. "Oh, silly child, I have. I am Malistaire," he glared at me, "And I am your father." He examined me for a minute, as if I were on display. "What school are you anyways?" he droned, his eyes lingering on my blue robes. "Death?" he asked, "Or Life, like your mother?"

I certainly did not intend to answer him, Malistaire, the master of lies. I still didn't believe him. I wasn't sure what game he was playing, but I knew he was playing it. The air around me grew cold.

"Ice, then." He chuckled. "I have to say, I am a tad disappointed. I had hoped that you would be Life…" Malistaire gave me a sad look, and started pacing around the room. "You see, my wife, your mother, Sylvia… She passed away of a terrible illness not long ago." He sighed and stopped to look at me. "I'm trying to bring her back. And I need _your_ help."

This was the man who had let loose evil creatures in Wizard City. This was the man who was tormenting the Spiral. And this man just wanted to bring his wife back? "How…" I gasped, astonished, "Well how do you expect to bring her back. She's… She's dead…"

He grimaced. "If I raise the dragon titan under my power, I am confident that he can bring my Sylvia back." Raise the dragon titan… This guy was a loon. He was absolutely bonkers, and I certainly wasn't going to help him. I shook my head and started backing away towards the way I had come. "Wait!" He shouted. "Sixteen years ago, upon this very day, my Sylvia gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in Wizard City. Our child looked just like my Sylvia, just like you. Mere minutes afterwards, our baby vanished. That baby was you, Grace."

His voice echoed in my head, and I felt like clasping my hands over my ears to get rid of the ringing. That was impossible. Today wasn't even my birthday, when I had gone through the Spiral door it had been mid-November, it couldn't possibly be the thirteenth of December already. How long had I been asleep in that cell? "That's impossible…" I shuddered, with less confidence than I would have liked. If it was in fact the thirteenth of December, then it would all add up. But that's impossible, I reassured myself.

"My, dear," Malistaire said with a sly grin on his face. "It's December thirteenth…" It was as if he had read my mind, as if he was a step ahead of me, and he knew all of my secrets. But… He couldn't possibly be my father… Malistaire took a few steps closer to me. "My child- "

"NO!" I screamed, shutting my eyes. He was not my father. A father is someone who raises his child, someone who's always there. He hadn't done that. He had no right to call himself my father. And I most certainly was not going to refer to myself as… Malistaire's daughter… I shuddered at the thought.

"Grace?" a soft voice said, full of concern. I opened my eyes, the snowy Commons swirling in my vision. My head throbbed, and I felt the world tilt. The last thing I remembered was Digby's eyes, staring down at me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11- A New Beginning**

I came to in the headmaster's office, with the entire Ravenwood faculty staring down at me. They whispered harshly amongst each other, discussing some important matter. "But she's just a child!" Moolinda gasped. I supposed the important matter was me.

I sat up slowly, and the room went quiet. Time seemed to stand still for a few minutes, as my teachers exchanged glances and cryptic stares. Finally, Ambrose cleared his throat. "Miss Nightwhisper. We have gathered here to decide upon your punishment. You are being questioned upon the following circumstances: intentionally freezing the Commons area, affiliating with Malistaire Drake, and crimes again Wizard City. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I…" I was in shock. What was I supposed to say? "I didn't!" I almost screamed the words, begging that they would understand that it wasn't true, or rather, that they would believe that it wasn't true.

"Explain yourself." Ambrose said coldly, scowling down at me. I took a deep breath.

"When Dylan came…" I sighed. "When Dylan came, I knew he was from Earth too. I got really anxious, and for whatever reason the Commons… They just froze… I started to, too. I didn't know why then, and I still don't know why. It just happened." Professor Greyrose's eyes widened, but she said nothing. Ambrose nodded for me to continue.

"So… After you yelled at me, headmaster… I was really confused, so I went to the Spiral door, and I just went through," I said, leaving out the part about my ice key. "And I woke up in a cell. I broke out, and walked around for a while, trying to find a way out. I didn't know where I was. And then… I found a room. And Malistaire was there. And he said something…" my voice cracked. "And then I was here."

"What did Malistaire say to you Grace?" Ambrose said, a severe look on his face.

"He said…" I gulped. "He said he was my father. But I don't believe it."

A troubled look crossed Ambrose's face, and he looked away for a moment. "I'm afraid that he was not lying, Grace. You are the daughter of Malistaire and Sylvia Drake."

"Oh." I said in a small voice. I felt like a deflated balloon. It was all so wrong. I was supposed to be happy when I found my parents, I had been waiting my whole life for this. But it turned out to be a bitter sweet dream, a reality that I had tried to wish away. I slouched down, hardly daring to look up at Ambrose. My shame was apparent.

"Go." Ambrose said with a small sigh. "You may continue to attend Ravenwood Academy." I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding in. I walked slowly towards the door. "Grace…" he called out, one last time. I turned to face the headmaster. "Remember, we're watching you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- Making Choices**

 **Rowan**

When the letter from Ravenwood came, it was no surprise. I had been expecting it for a long time, since I had been displaying signs of magic for a year or so. Strange things always happened to me, like the sound of bones clinking together wherever I went, and spirits speaking with me. I guess it was to be expected when I was placed in the school of Death, although I couldn't help but be disappointed. I came from a long line of prestigious Conjurers, so I was now considered the one and only blight on my family's pure history. My parents were less than pleased, but they at least tried to be supportive. The rest of my family had practically disowned me when they heard the news.

This is why, when I sat in a chair in the headmaster's office, awaiting my wand, spell book, and robes, my mood was less than peachy. In fact, I was fuming. Right before I had left for Ravenwood, my insufferable older sister, Diana, had pushed me down the stairs of our apartment in Marleybone, casted a blood bat on me, and called me a loser. I don't like Diana.

"Rowan Shadowbrand?" Ambrose called out my name, and I walked over to his desk. He informed me of the sad state of the Death school, and since it appeared to be missing, I didn't have a class to attend this morning. I could go speak to Malorn Ashthorn, and he could train me a spell, but that was about it.

Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to check out my dorm. I had already purchased a map of Wizard City back in Marleybone, so I had a fairly good idea of where everything was. I exited the headmaster's office, and walked through the bustling Commons towards the tunnel to Ravenwood. The crisp January air bit through my thin black Novice robes, but I tried to ignore it. After entering Ravenwood, I saw the two dorm towers on either side of me.

I just stood there for a minute, waiting for someone to enter either one of the towers so that I would know which one was the girls' and which was for the boys. After a few minutes, a tall boy wearing purple and yellow robes entered the tower to my right. That must have been the boy's dorms. I entered the tower to the left, and emerged in a small round lobby-like room. A narrow staircase wound up from the back of the room.

I then realized that I had absolutely no clue which room was mine. I could ascend the staircase and just hope that I would eventually find it, or I could wait around for someone to come by and help me. I decided to stay in the warm lobby, because the thought of climbing up all of those stairs to no particular destination tired me.

Eventually, a short girl with pale blonde hair and startling ice blue eyes entered the room. She looked a few years older than me, and wore a long white and blue coat buttoned up to her neck, winter boots, and a light blue scarf. On her head was a white hat that resembled something like a beret. An icy breeze followed her into the room, lingering even after she shut the door. The girl had to be an Ice wizard.

The girl walked swiftly past me, heading for the stairs. "Hey!" I shouted quickly, "Can you help me? I'm new and I can't find my dorm." She turned around and frowned at me.

"What's your name?" she sighed, walking over to a book podium I had failed to notice.

"Rowan Shadowbrand," I said, and she began flipping through the pages of the book. "Thanks," I added. She just nodded, and then ran her index finger down the text.

"Rowan Shadowbrand, Room 4, Floor 23," she said, then turned and ran up the stairs. I didn't even get to thank her. I chased after her, at least wanting to find out her name, but she ascended the twenty-three flights of stairs far too fast for my out of shape legs to carry me. When I finally reached the Twenty-third floor, I saw a door slam at the end of the hall. I walked over and looked at the number, Room 5. I was neighbors with this girl.

I entered my dorm feeling somewhat dejected, trying to figure out why the girl hadn't wanted to talk to me. Did she know about my family, and how I was the one Death sheep in a herd of Myth sheep? When I thought about it, the girl hadn't seemed very interested in me at all, where if she knew about my family she would have been more cynical. I sighed in defeat, it didn't even matter what she thought anyways.

I looked around my dorm, taking in the standard furniture and the books on the desk in the corner. I shoved the books into my bag, dropped off my suitcases, and headed over to the cafeteria for some food. There was hardly anyone there; everyone must have been in class. I saw a few Death and Balance students sitting scattered throughout the long wooden tables. I made a beeline for the back of the room, where a magic self-cooking buffet was set up. I snatched some toast and bacon, and sat in an empty table in the back.

I pulled out my school books, and started reading. I got so entranced in "The History of Death Magic" that I hardly noticed when my food went cold. When I finally put my book down, my whole plate of food sat cold and untouched, and people started coming in for lunch.

I stuffed some cold toast in my mouth, and contemplated my secondary school. Secondary classes started after lunch, and I would have to choose one. The obvious choice was Myth, because maybe then my family would be less disappointed in me. But secretly, I had a small interest in the Storm school. Although, I knew if I chose Storm my family would certainly disown me. Myth hated Storm.

A few people came and sat down at the end of my table, disturbing my thoughts. There were three boys and one girl. They all chattered excitedly. "I absolutely hate Drake," the boy in yellow and royal blue robes groaned. Professor Drake was the Myth teacher, and now I was absolutely dreading the end of lunch. "He always gives so much homework! And he's so mean to some of the kids."

"That's why I hate Myth, you want less homework, Caleb?" another boy in dark purple and gold robes laughed. "Come release your INNER THUNDA!" The Myth boy, Caleb groaned at this.

"You Storm wizards, always going on about your inner thunder…" Caleb smirked.

"See? This is exactly why _I_ chose Fire!" The girl sneered, setting off her silvery eyes. She flipped her bright red hair haughtily and drew flames in the air with her wand.

They all then turned to the boy at the end of the table, as if searching for a final verdict. He wore white robes with a maroon trim, and seemed extremely preoccupied. His golden eyes were fixed on someone at the empty table to the left. I leaned forward subtly, trying to see what he was looking at. The girl from the dorms sat at the table, quietly eating a plate of bacon by herself. She held a piece of bacon in one hand, and an Ice book in the other.

The girl at our table groaned excessively. "Come on Dylan, she isn't even worth your time." She spat the words out.

"Yeah, didn't she turn you down anyways?" the Storm boy questioned.

"Guys…" the Balance looking kid, Dylan, said, shaking his head. He sighed. "Why do you care anyways?" he said, somewhat angrily.

"'Cause she's a loser," the girl muttered under her breath.

"Keena!" Caleb said warningly.

"You know what? It doesn't even matter. You guys are right." Dylan sighed sadly, looking down at his half eaten sandwich.

I looked over for the girl from the dorms, but she was missing. It then occurred to me that they had been talking very loudly, and it wasn't like our tables were very far apart. She had probably heard every word that they had said. I suddenly felt bad for her. No matter who she was, she had feelings, and what they had said wasn't very nice.

I sat there for a while longer, munching on cold bacon and trying to read my book until the bell rang. When I finally heard the melodic chiming of the Ravenwood school bells, I booked it for the Myth classroom. I crept open the door, and took a seat in the very back. I didn't want to be there, but I didn't see much of a choice. Students with all different colors of robes started pouring in, and soon the classroom was filled.

Cyrus Drake, the Myth teacher, stood from his desk and assessed us. "I see we have a new student…" He said in a bored and disapproving tone. I was already regretting coming in here. "What is your name?" he said to me, sneering.

"R-r-rowan. Rowan Shadowbrand." I had stuttered, I had actually stuttered. Never in my whole thirteen years of life had I ever actually stuttered. Drake unnerved me. A few kids in the front of the class snickered at me, teacher's pets, I guessed.

"Are your parents Kiera Mythblood and Sean Legendwalker?" he said, stretching out the words. I nodded. He smirked. "I didn't expect to see you in my Secondary class. Your parents must be very disappointed." That triggered another round of vicious snickers from the front of the class.

I set my head down on the desk, forcing back tears. I. Did. Not. Want. To. Be. Here. I took a deep shuddering breath.

"Rowan Shadowbrand, there will be no nap taking in my class. You have detention in the Myth tower after class."

That was it. I had reached my boiling point. Maybe it was Drake's demeaning comments, or maybe it was the simple fact that I absolutely hated Myth, but I found myself standing up, and walking straight out of the classroom. My parents would just have to disown me, because I wasn't going to put up with Myth.

Before I even noticed where I was going, I found myself opening the door to the Storm classroom. "Sorry I'm late," I murmured as every face turned towards me. "I'm Rowan Shadowbrand, I'd like to take this class…"

The teacher, a small frog in a purple suit, stared at me for a moment. "Yes, yes of course. We always welcome new students to come release their INNER THUNDA! Sit down, sit down, please," he said cheerfully. I took the empty seat in the back, next to another Death student. She gave me a shy smile.

The class went on, and I felt all my worked up tension from the Myth classroom evaporate. Everyone in Storm was so nice and friendly, and the spells were fascinating. Before I knew it, the class was over and the bell was chiming.

I went back to my dorm for the night and finished reading all of my Death school books, hoping that I could learn another spell from Malorn tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13- I Accidentally Break my Life**

 **Grace**

I should have expected it, really, I should have. I knew what I had said, and I knew that eventually he would just give up. But regardless of the fact that I had thrown him away, it still stung like a fresh cut when he did it to me. Maybe I had just hoped he would say it to my face, not to his friends, and especially not to _Keena Rubycatcher_.

I still remembered what had happened, as if it were yesterday and not almost a month ago. I still regretted it. I had just exited the headmaster's office after my trial, and Dylan was standing, right there, under the tree. He smiled and walked over to me.

"Grace," he said, "I heard you got back. Where were you? I was worried…" he blushed as soon as he realized just what he had said, and shoved his hands in the pockets of his new robes.

"Doesn't matter." I mumbled, walking past him, towards the dorms. He ran to catch up with me.

"Yes, it does Grace. Come on, what's the matter? You can tell me," he pleaded, trying to take my hand. I snatched it away from him.

"Just leave me alone!" I screamed. Dylan looked like I had just slapped him. Frost sprouted from the ground around me and began spreading again. I turned and ran for my dorm, an icy blizzard following me.

That wasn't the last time Dylan had tried to reach out to me though, he tried several more times, and I always gave him the same response, the same ice cold "Leave me alone." Eventually he just gave up. All of my friends gave up. I pushed everyone away, Luis, Jaqueline, even Digby. And everyone just left. They stopped saying "Hello" or waving when they saw me, and I migrated to an empty table in the cafeteria, where I could be alone. Dylan still waved when he saw me though, up until about a week ago. I was always unresponsive, because I thought I needed to be alone. Anyways, I thought, who would want to even know the daughter of Malistaire? The teachers watched me closely, and I was utterly miserable.

I turned to school, trying to learn to control the ice storms that seemed to follow me everywhere I went. I studied and I learned but no matter what I did, I found no satisfaction. I became a Grandmaster Thaumaturge, a worthy title and by far the best in my class, and I learned to control my storms, but I was still miserable.

Then I just couldn't take it anymore. I was eating a bacon lunch in the cafeteria, while rereading my favorite spell book, and I selfishly temped myself with a quick glance over at Dylan's table. I hadn't chosen to sit at the table next to them intentionally, it was just the only table ever left unoccupied.

When I saw him, and his friends, just sitting there, talking happily and all eating lunch together as friends, I broke a little inside. I had that, once. I had friends and wonderful people who cared about me, and I might have had Dylan. And now, looking over at them, so happy and content, I wanted to take all of my words back, rewind time, just so that I could sit with my friends again, care free.

I made it up in my mind, right then and there, that I would apologize. It would take time, but I would get my friends back, and would never make the same mistake again. I would never be alone again. Just then, I heard a loud groan from Dylan's table.

"Come on Dylan, she isn't even worth your time," Keena spat. I didn't like Keena, and I disapproved of Dylan being friends with her, but it wasn't like I was in any position to judge the matter. One quick glance though, and I realized they were all looking over at me. I busied myself with a casual bite of my bacon, so they wouldn't know I knew.

"Yeah, didn't she turn you down anyways?" Dylan's Storm friend, Jonathan Skycaller, asked. Yep, they were definitely talking about me. My heart sank.

"Guys…" Dylan muttered. He sighed. "Why do you care anyways?"

"'Cause she's a loser," Keena muttered. I absolutely detested Keena Rubycatcher.

"Keena!" Caleb, Dylan's other friend, snapped.

"You know what? It doesn't even matter. You guys are right." Dylan sighed.

I knew it would happen. I knew what he said was totally justified, but the tears started to flow anyways. I snatched my things and ran from the cafeteria, not stopping until I was in my dorm. I slammed my books down on my desk, and flung myself onto my bed. I cried for a while, and then just lied on my back and looked at the ceiling, trying to pinpoint everything I'd done wrong in the last month.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14- Chosen**

 **Rowan**

I'd been at Ravenwood for a whole week, and things were going great. I had already progressed to Journeyman Necromancer, the fastest person to ever do so since Malistaire, the previous Death professor. My incredible talent for the Death school was getting me noticed though, and I'd already been challenged more than once in the PvP Arena. My current opponent was a cocky Storm wizard named Wolf Skyhammer, and as far as I could tell he was only Initiate.

I drew a Dark Sprite from my deck, and hurled the card at him. The dark sprite was summoned, and hurled its magic at Wolf. He was thrown back several feet, but he stood up without a scratch. He drew a card and waved his wand, and before I knew it the Arena was flooded and a Storm Shark was swimming toward me rapidly. I scanned my deck for a shield, but found nothing. I braced myself for the shattering blow to come.

The shark lunged at me, bringing me to my knees. When the spell receded, I was severely scratched up and bruised. I struggled to get to my feet. I glanced through my cards, and smiled wickedly. I drew the Death symbol in the air, and my spell jumped to life.

A pitch black coffin rose from the ground in between us, and fog pooled out. The coffin opened, and a sickly vampire sprung out, sucking the life from Wolf. The vampire then flew over to me, and healed my wounds. Wolf was defeated.

He pulled a potion from his cloak, and drank it in long gulps. The scratches on his face disappeared, and his skin regained its color. I walked over to him and helped him up.

"Good game," I said, smiling. He scowled at me.

"How did I get beaten… by a kid?!" he screeched. I shrugged and walked back to the lobby. The first time I had received a response like that, I had been extremely upset, but I was used to it by now. I glanced at the large clock on the wall, and headed over to the cafeteria for lunch. I was stopped, however, by the headmaster himself.

"Rowan, may I speak to you for a minute?" he said in a hurried voice. I nodded; it was a Saturday so I didn't have any classes or anywhere to be. He led me into the tower, which was basically large round room crowded by bookshelves and miscellaneous stacks of books. The highlight was the large glowing model of the Spiral in the center of the room. I immediately searched for Marleybone amongst the drifting worlds. I found it, a small chunk of land with tall dark buildings settled on top of it. I could even see Big Ben, Marleybone's famous clock tower, from here.

What I did not expect to see was the cluster of students peering over at me. The group from the cafeteria was there, including Dylan, Caleb, and the girl with the fiery hair, Keena, I thought her name was. There was also a boy I didn't recognize there. He was a little shorter than the others, and wore green and brown robes. His eyes were a pure grass green, and his soft black hair hung in his face.

I immediately felt out of place, since I was clearly the youngest one there. "Rowan Shadowbrand, we called you here today because you have shown exceptional talent in Necromancy. We think you might be a missing member of our team." The boy, Dylan, spoke up. "Ambrose? The book..?"

Ambrose shuffled over to a pedestal by the wall. I recognized the book laying on it to be the Book of Secrets. He waved me over, and I peered down at the blank pages of the book. "Rowan, place your hand on the pages, and then, if I am correct in my assumptions, we will explain everything to you."

I placed my hand palm down on the page, and for a moment nothing happened. I glanced up at Ambrose, to ask him a question, when I felt a searing pain. It felt as if my palm was on fire, and I snatched my hand away from the book, shrieking. I cradled my hand in the other hand, and Ambrose peered down at me. "Show me your hand." He said coolly.

I uncovered my palm, and stared down at it. A shimmering black symbol sat in my hand, which I was certain had not been there before. It had a swirl on top, which then straightened out into a sort of box. It was the same symbol that I drew in the air every time I casted a spell, it was the symbol of Death. I gasped.

"So you are one of the Chosen," Merle Ambrose smiled. "I'll let them explain things to you," he said, leaving the room. I turned to face the others, who were all grinning.

"That's a relief." Caleb sighed. "I dunno what we would have told you if that didn't happen."

Dylan rolled his eyes and turned to me. "Let me explain, you must be really confused." I nodded. "First of all, we all have that mark, well, for our respective schools. No need to worry. Just… Don't try to wash it off. It doesn't work. Learned that the hard way…" Keena snickered and he glared at her. She rolled her eyes. He sighed, and showed me his own palm. A maroon symbol that looked like a scale was drawn on his hand. The Balance symbol.

"So, anyways… Where do I start…" he muttered.

"Tell her what you told me," Caleb suggested. I just stood there patiently, surprisingly calm for a person who had absolutely no clue what was going on.

"Okay… So about a month ago, when I got here, Ambrose came to me because he thought I was special. I had a natural knack for Balance, you know? Well, he brought me over to the Book of Secrets, and the same exact thing that just happened to you happened to me. Except, since I don't belong to a Spirit or Elemental school, I'm Balance, I'm destined to be our leader. You see, we're part of a supposedly prophesized group, the Chosen, as Ambrose calls us. We're kinda supposed to vanquish all evil from the Spiral."

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell me that I'm part of some 'Chosen' group of wizards destined to save the Spiral." I gawked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Keena sighed.

"Cool, right?" the boy in green said.

"Wait, so is there a 'Chosen' for each school? And I'm Death? Or is it something else?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, like I told you, I'm Balance, Keena's Fire, Caleb's Myth, and Digby's Life." Dylan said. The boy in green must have been Digby.

"So where are the others?" I asked. They all gave me blank stares. "Well, you're missing Storm and Ice, who are they?"

"Oh," Dylan said sadly. "You see, we haven't found them yet. No one has displayed any impeccable ability in either school, so we're still searching."

"Oh…" I said. "So what's this all got to do with me, what am I supposed to do?"

"Well, you can help us keep an eye out for the last two Chosen, and help us with the Malistaire project. Wait…" He looked like a thought had occurred to him. "We haven't actually introduced ourselves, have we?" I shook my head. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm Dylan Dreamstrider, Magus Sorcerer."

"Keena Rubycatcher, as if you didn't already know. Master Pyromancer." Keena said snootily.

"Hi, I'm Caleb Legendtamer, Magus Conjurer," Caleb said, smiling and shaking my hand.

"Digby Froggiver. Yes, Froggiver." He shot Dylan a look. "Adept Theurgist."

I smiled back at them. "I'm Rowan Shadowbrand, but you already knew that."

"Great." Dylan said.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15- PvP**

 **Rowan**

About a week later, Dylan's friend Jonathan Skycaller was discovered to be the next Chosen. Another week went by, and Malistaire furthered his evil plan. We had recently discovered that he was searching for the Krokonomicon, which, as Ambrose informed us, was not good. We convened an emergency meeting in the Headmaster's Tower to discuss our course of action.

We finally decided to send Keena and Caleb to attempt to retrieve to Krokonomicon from Krokotopia, since they were the most experienced wizards on our team. In the meantime, I was just supposed to sit around in Wizard City, and wait for something to happen. We had yet to find the final Chosen, and Ambrose said that time was running out. Because of this, I was sent to the arena to spy on promising Ice students.

So far, I'd only seen three Ice wizards, and only one won a match. Although, considering the fact that he was only a Journeyman and had been here a year, I didn't think he was our last member. I was fighting away sleep when someone came and sat down a few feet away from me.

It was the girl from the dorms, and she seemed deep in thought. She watched the battle intently, with purpose. I glanced back at the arena, where a duel between a Magus Ice and a Master Fire had commenced. The Fire wizard had first turn, and she hurled a phoenix at the Ice boy. I had seen the boy fight already, and he wasn't very skilled. He threw out a Frost Beetle, and I saw the girl shake her head out of the corner of my eye. I looked at her for a moment. She appeared to be very experienced, and although I didn't know how long she'd been here, a thought occurred to me. She could be the next Chosen, and I decided it was at least worth talking to her.

"Hey, you're the girl who helped me find my dorm," I said, walking over to sit beside her. Her eyes widened a little bit.

"Oh. Hi," she said in a small voice. She looked down at her hands, which were covered by silky blue gloves.

"Why don't you PvP?" I asked, eager to see her skill level.

"I don't… I don't really PvP," she murmured.

"How come?" She looked like she was a high level, so I couldn't imagine why she wouldn't want to duel.

She sighed. "Does it matter?"

I considered this for a moment. "How about you duel me?" I asked, watching for her reaction. She seemed somewhat entertained.

"I told you… I don't really PvP. Or duel… Or anything…" she winced.

"Come on, just this once?" I pleaded.

She looked down at her hands, toying with her gloves.

"Please?"

She sniffled.

"Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaassssse?"

She let out and exasperated sigh. "If I PvP you will you leave me alone?"

"Yeeeeeees!" I grinned, grabbing her wrist and tugging her over to the PvP sign ups. The Fire wizard had defeated the Ice boy, so the Arena was open. We teleported in, and I grinned at her. She shook her head slightly, suppressing a laugh.

I had first turn, so I hurled a Vampire at her, grinning slightly. The familiar old coffin rose from the ground, and the vampire sprung out, sucking her health. But when the spell dissipated, the girl was hardly fazed. She dusted off her coat in a mocking manner and drew a tower shield. I pinched my lips in concentration, unsure of what to cast next. I settled on a feint. She then casted a blade, biding her time. I threw a ghoul at her, but she didn't even blink. It was her turn.

She drew a card from her deck, and traced the spiraling ice symbol in the air with her wand, the essence of calm. No, it was more than calm, she just didn't care. The arena rumbled, and a huge block of ice rose from the ground. The ice shattered, and an Ice Colossus thundered toward me. I winced, bracing myself for the inevitable. The Colossus brought its mighty sword down upon me, and my health shattered. I sat there in a daze, defeated. The battle ended, and I felt my health regenerate.

I looked up to congratulate the girl on her win, but she had disappeared.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16- A Book Gives me a Tattoo**

 **Grace**

 _Stupid_. _Stupid_. _Stupid!_ Why did I battle that girl? I had nothing to prove. I paced around the Commons anxiously. Was I even allowed to PvP? What would Ambrose think? The thought of him finding out made me queasy. Should I tell him? Should I not?

I finally settled on telling him. I didn't want to stick around to suffer his fury when he finally found out, and this seemed like the more honorable option. I stalked towards the Headmaster's Tower, nerves swelling inside of me. I knocked on the door, but nobody answered.

I crept into the tower, searching for Ambrose. The room was empty, all but for the familiar swirling model of the Spiral. I walked over to the edge of the room, near the Book of Secrets. I decided to wait there for Ambrose to return, and then I would talk to him.

I peered over at the Book of Secrets, and my curiosity got the best of me. It was called the Book of _Secrets_ , after all. I flipped the book open and gazed down at it. The pages were blank. I vaguely recalled the day I had gotten my last name, and how the words had appeared when I touched the page. I pressed my palm to the parchment, curiosity bubbling inside of me.

I felt a sharp, cold pain, and I fell back, gasping. I ripped off my right glove, expecting to see some sort of wound. A swirling blue ice symbol glittered in my palm. I gaped at it, wondering why it was there, and what it could possibly mean. Just then, I heard loud footsteps approaching the door. I picked myself up off of the floor and yanked my glove back over my hand. I slammed the Book of Secrets shut in a panic, and leapt away from it just as the door creaked open.

But it wasn't Ambrose standing there staring at me confusedly.

It was Dylan.

I shoved past him, out into the crisp air of the Commons. He spun around, mouth open like he wanted to say something, but I was gone.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17- The Final Member**

 **Rowan**

Ambrose called an emergency meeting, swearing that he'd found the last Chosen, a small blue haired Ice girl named Jaqueline Iceblood. We all gathered in the tower, Keena and Caleb safely back from their mission (the Krokonomicon had been found, and safely deposited in the Royal Museum). Ambrose opened the door, and the girl slipped in.

"What's going on?" she asked in a small voice.

"We will explain everything, but first, place your hand on the Book of Secrets." he grumbled, expectantly.

She did as told, quivering slightly from nervousness. But nothing happened. She stood there for a minute or two, while we all just watched. Ambrose frowned.

"Young Wizard, let me see your hand," he said anxiously. Jaqueline showed him her palm. It was blank. Ambrose shook his head, beard swaying. "No, no, this can't be right." He murmured feverishly.

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. She wasn't a Chosen. Dylan opened his mouth to say something, but Ambrose cut him off.

"No matter," he scowled, "Jaqueline, I do believe that you are one of the Chosen." Her eyes widened. "I'll have Dylan here fill you in on what that means." We all exchanged glances again. Dylan tugged at his collar. "Rowan," Ambrose said, turning to me. "Now that we have our final member, we need to proceed with the plan. I need you to find a way into Malistaire's lair." My jaw dropped. " _Now,_ " he commanded.

I rushed out of the tower, still in shock. Jaqueline wasn't a Chosen. But he told her she was. But she wasn't… What could this possibly mean?

I found myself walking towards the library, it seemed like the most logical place to go for information on Malistaire's lair. Perhaps I could find a Dragonspyre blueprint, or a teleportation spell. I entered the library, and walked up to Harold.

"Hello, miss, what do you need?" he asked cheerfully.

"I don't suppose you have anything on, uh," I fidgeted with my robes, "Malistaire's lair?" His eyes widened. "It's for the headmaster!"

"Oh, um…" he examined me, trying to decide if I was telling the truth. He sighed and pulled a key out of his desk drawer. "Here," he said, handing me the key. "This is the key to the library's restricted section. You should find what you're looking for in there."

I thanked him and walked over to the restricted section. The large oak doors seemed somewhat menacing in the dull lighting. I turned the key in the lock, and entered the room.

A startled gasp came from a nearby shelf, and I was surprised to see the Ice girl from the dorms. I still didn't know her name yet. I wondered what she was doing here.

"You," I said, "What are you here for?" I asked. It then occurred to me that this section should only have one key, and I was holding it. She had snuck in.

She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, looking anywhere but me. "Um… I just wanted a book. On spell symbols…" she met my eyes then, "Sorry, I shouldn't be in here." She went to leave the room, but I pulled her back.

"No, no, it's fine," I heard myself saying. "Can you help me with something?" I wasn't sure why I had asked, but she seemed like a much better wizard than that Jaqueline girl, and she appeared to be much smarter too. She nodded slightly, then gulped.

"What?" she asked.

"I need to find a way into Malistaire's lair."

Her jaw dropped. "What?! Why?! Are you crazy! Why on earth would you want to go there! Do you have any idea wha-" she froze, clamping her mouth shut. "Why?" she asked, more calmly this time.

"Uh… It's kind of top secret." I murmured.

"You want to defeat him, don't you?" she said, eyes widening. I managed a slow nod. She sighed. "I-" she sighed again. "I might be able to help you," she said, looking at her shoes. "But you can't tell anyone, okay?" She looked up at me, and I nodded. "Okay… I'll come meet you when I know for sure, but I have to look something up first."

"What?" I asked, curiously. I knew I might be pushing it, it was a miracle that she might help me anyways.

"Teleporting…" The corners of her lips pinched down. My mouth formed a silent O. I wasn't sure what she was planning exactly, but if it could get all of us into Malistaire's lair, I was all for it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18- Someone Gives me a Bear Hug**

 **Grace**

This was it, my chance to make it up to everyone. To Dylan. If I got Rowan safely into Malistaire's lair, and she defeated him, then maybe they wouldn't see me as a monster anymore. Maybe they would accept me again. I knew it was risky, going back, and Rowan could find out my secret, but it was the best shot I had.

It took just one book to confirm that, yes, you can teleport anywhere you have been before. I could have already met up with Rowan, but I decided to research my own topic a little more.

I was trying to figure out why the glistening ice symbol was on my hand. I tried and I tried and I tried, but all I could find was one measly charm book containing a simple spell that made instant spell symbol tattoos. One tattoo, for each school, and it only worked once. I couldn't imagine how this connected though, unless someone had casted it on the Book of Secrets. But it was the Book of Secrets, no one would do that.

I eventually left the library, feeling somewhat dejected and worn out.

The next day, I walked into the cafeteria, and prepared to face Rowan. She was sitting at the table in the back. With Dylan and his friends. And Digby. And Jaqueline. I gulped, it was now or never.

I walked up to her table, wiping my sweaty palms on my robes. They all gaped at me as I took the seat directly next to Rowan. She beamed.

"So did you find it?" she asked, not seeming to notice the looks the others were giving me. I tugged at my collar, suddenly finding it very hard to breathe.

"Uh. Um. Yeah." I finally muttered.

Her face lit up. "Great!" she said. She turned to the others. "Guys?" Oh no oh no oh please no. "She… wait, what's your name?" she asked, turning towards me. I flushed.

"Grace." Dylan said for me, staring at me with a sad look in his eyes. I glanced at my hands in my lap.

"Oh… Well, Grace here is gonna get us into Malistaire's lair."

Everyone's jaw dropped.

"What?" they all said in unison.

Dylan stood up. "Hey Grace, can I talk to you for a moment?" Oh God. I stood up and followed him over to the corner next to the food. "What are you thinking?" he said sadly, when we finally got there. I opened my mouth to speak, but he stopped me. "You can't even get into Malistaire's lair anyways, what are you trying to prove Grace?"

"I _can_ get into Malistaire's lair." I muttered, hardly above a whisper. I didn't dare meet his eyes.

"Grace. Come on. Be realistic here, you're ju-"

"I _can_ ," I interrupted him. He was quiet for a moment. I sighed and reached into my backpack. I pulled out the battered old hoodie he had given me, back before everything had changed. I stuck it out to him. He just gaped at it, shaking his head.

"Grace…"

"Just take it. I don't care if you hate me, but I need to do this, I need to be a part of this. I'm going to get you into Malistaire's lair."

"You kept it." His face softened, and he looked down at me, wonder in his eyes. "All this time, after everything you said, you kept it."

I looked down at the hoodie, still in my outstretched hand. I took a deep shuddering breath, tears threatening to form at the edge of my vision. I'd know Dylan for less than ten minutes when he'd given it to me, but I'd never had it in me to throw it away. My arm dropped, and I bent my head down as tears threatened to fall. One fat, warm tear drop slid down my face, and I was in Dylan's arms.

He clutched me tightly to his chest, pressing his face into my tangle of hair. I leaned into him, letting the tears roll freely. It felt good, to be in his arms, to feel him there, to know that he was there, and that he wasn't going to leave. _Until he finds out who you really are_. The thought crept into my mind, cold and unwelcoming, but I shoved it aside. It felt good to have a friend. It felt good to have _Dylan_.

Dylan. This boy, this boy who had only just barely met me, who had given me his sweater just because I was cold, who I had been horrible to, who had forgiven me, who held me in his arms right now, and not because he had to. Because he _wanted_ to. All because he wanted to.

I pulled back hardly an inch, just so I could look into his eyes. "Why?" I asked. "Why don't you hate me?"

His glistening golden eyes met my icy blue ones, and I felt myself slowly melting. "No one's perfect, Grace. And everyone deserves a second chance."

I felt a fresh tear slide down my cheek, and he gently wiped it away, pulling me closer.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19- Grace Agrees**

 **Rowan**

When the girl from the dorms slid into the seat next to me, she looked nauseous. I grinned. "So did you find it?" I asked, eagerly. She frowned.

"Uh. Um. Yeah," she murmured.

I looked at her excitedly. We had a way in. "Great!" I said. I turned to face the others. "Guys? She… wait, what's your name?" I asked, embarrassed. At least I wasn't the only one blushing, the girl was bright red.

"Grace." Dylan said solemnly, looking over at her with an expression I couldn't decipher.

"Oh… Well, Grace here is gonna get us into Malistaire's lair."

Everyone gave me looks of surprise, and I heard a particularly loud gasp from Keena.

"What?" they all said in unison.

Dylan stood up suddenly, walking over to Grace. "Hey Grace, can I talk to you for a moment?" he said nervously. I blinked.

She stood up, shaking slightly, and followed him over to the corner. The eyes of everyone in the group followed them. Dylan gazed down at her, talking in a firm voice, and I tried to strain my ears to hear. It was futile, though, they were just out of earshot.

Grace appeared to be extremely distressed, and I felt for her. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but she looked miserable. I almost got up to go help her, but she pulled a ragged tan sweater thingy out of her backpack. She held it out to Dylan, and whatever frustration I thought I had seen in him crumbled away. He just looked back and forth from the sweater to Grace, and back again. He seemed to be in shock.

"What is that thing?" Keena said obnoxiously, and everyone turned to shush her.

"It's Dylan's hoodie, he was wearing it when he first got here. I dunno how Grace got a hold of it," Caleb muttered, receiving several shushes himself.

I leaned forward as Dylan whispered something to her, then drew her into his arms.

"Ewwwww…" Keena moaned. "I can't believe he's actually touching her!"

Jonathan zapped her, and she yelped. "Shut it, Keena. I think they're cute together."

Everybody turned to stare at him.

"What?" he shrugged. "They are!"

Digby sneered. "Well I dunno about that…"

Jaqueline's eyes widened.

"Shut up everybody, they're coming back!" Caleb screeched, ducking behind his plate of bacon.

Sure enough, Dylan and Grace were walking back to the table. She looked like she had been crying, and he held her hand firmly in his. He led her to sit down near the front of the table, and he turned to address the group. I couldn't help but notice Digby's eyes following their intertwined fingers. I wondered if there was some history there.

Dylan cleared his throat. "Okay. So Grace is going to get us into Malistaire's lair." I heard a faint protest from Keena, but he silenced it with one of his hard core leader glares. Everyone sat up straighter. "So here's the plan," he said, "Grace teleports into Malistaire's lair, makes sure the coast is clear," he struggled on that last part. I couldn't imagine why though, making sure the coast was clear and we all didn't fall into a trap sounded awfully nice to me. "Then she contacts me via whisper chat, and we all teleport in. After that, we split into teams of two and try to get as many clues about Malistaire's plan as we can. Keena, you're with Caleb, Jonathan with Jaqueline, and Digby, you and Rowan."

I cringed. It wasn't that I didn't like Digby, but he was Life, and I was Death. The two schools were sworn enemies.

"I'll go with Grace." He finished, and everyone glanced uneasily about the table.

"Um… Dude, I get that you're the leader and all, but are you sure about that?" Caleb questioned. "I mean, I'm sure she's nice and all, but, I mean, she's not one of us."

Grace's eyes dropped, and she frowned slightly. Dylan seemed to notice, and he frowned to. "I trust Grace," he said. She winced. "If she's gonna get us in there in the first place, then she might as well be part of the team."

"But..!" Keena protested. Digby had a strangled look on his face, and Jaqueline looked like this was her out. She fidgeted nervously with her robes.

"Ya know, guys, maybe Grace should take my place." she murmured. Jonathan's eyes widened.

"No!" he shouted, jerking out of his seat. "Uh… I mean… Ambrose! Ambrose said you were part of the team! You can't leave! Anyways, I'm sure Grace doesn't have the mark either."

"Mark?" Grace squeaked. She seemed paler, if that was even possible. Dylan's eyes narrowed.

"Anyways," Dylan continued, "We're just going to look for clues this time, got it? We'll go back and defeat Malistaire once we know what we're up against.

Grace bit the inside of her cheek, and I could tell she was uncomfortable. It just occurred to me, if Grace knew how to get into Malistaire's lair, how much did she already know about him? And why?

"How do you know how to get in anyways Grace?" I asked, suddenly perplexed. She squirmed.

"Because…" She gulped, and Dylan peered down at her, a cross between curiosity and immediate horror on his face. She glanced up at him, then back down at the table. His gaze softened slightly. "Because I've been there." She shuddered.

I gaped at her. Why had _Grace_ , of all people been with Malistaire? She seemed too afraid and ashamed to be in league with him, but I couldn't help but wonder. Dylan's face dropped.

"That's where you were? All that time?" he gaped, and she slowly nodded, shivering. "But… Why?"

She met his eyes, "It's a long story…" she said with that I'll-tell-you-later look. He nodded and didn't press it.

"Well I wanna hear it!" Keena screeched, crossing her arms.

Digby and Jaqueline both looked like they'd had bags of bricks dropped on them. "Oh Grace…" Digby said.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Jaqueline said, shocked.

"Why was this girl with Malistaire?!" Caleb questioned, "And how can you still trust her?"

"Grace?" Jonathan demanded, giving her and stormy glare.

"I-I-" her voice broke, and she buried her face in her gloves. I wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for her, or hate her. I knew we were all thinking the same thing: is she a victim, or an accomplice?

Dylan shook his head. "It doesn't matter." he said firmly. "Grace will lead us to Malistaire, and that's all that matters." I couldn't help but notice that he wasn't sitting quite so close to her anymore.

"Yeah," she said in a weak voice. "That's all that matters." She got up shakily, and ran away. No one went after her.

Dylan sighed, looking angrily around the table. He stood up and ran after Grace, calling out her name.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20- I Go on Mission Impossible**

 **Grace**

Dylan found me sitting underneath Torrence, the Storm tree. The thunder and rain seemed to suit my mood entirely.

"Grace!" he gasped, collapsing next to me on the dock. "Grace. I'm sorry… I just…"

"No," I murmured. "I get it."

He sighed. "Grace… I hate to ask you this, but I really do need to know. Why were you in Malistaire's lair?"

I avoided meeting his eyes, and just stared into the frothy water below. I took a deep breath. "The day we met." I sighed. "The day we met, when Ambrose found me, after he sent you back into his office, he kind of…"

"What? What'd Ambrose do Grace?" His brow furrowed.

"Ambrose banished me, because I froze the Commons. I'm still not sure why, I mean, freezing things can't be too uncommon for Ice wizards, magical mistakes have to happen all the ti-"

"Grace," Dylan cut me off. "What happened after that?"

I sighed. "I went to the Spiral Door… And I went through…"

"Without a key?"

"Well… Not an official key, no…"

The crease in between his brow deepened.

"So I went through the door. And the last thing I remember was landing on hot stone. Then I woke up in a cell."

"In Malistaire's lair?"

"Yeah…" I shuddered involuntarily. "I was so scared Dylan. And then I found him. I found Malistaire. And he said… Dylan, he wants to summon the Dragon Titan." He gasped. "To bring Sylvia Drake back from the dead." I couldn't call her my mother, I couldn't tell him. I didn't have the courage.

Dylan sat back a bit, just staring out at the water. "Oh, Grace," he said sadly. "I can't imagine what you went through…"

"He wanted my help."

"What?!"

I took a deep breath. I had to tell him, I had too. I had to tell him Malistaire was my father.

"Wait…" he said, the wheels in his head spinning frantically. "Just… Just give me a minute… Okay?"

I nodded.

Dylan took a deep breath, then slid me into his lap, embracing me. My breath caught as he stroked my hair delicately, holding me tightly. "I'm so sorry," he whispered softly into my hair. He leaned back slightly, so he could look me in the eyes. He looked so crushed, like someone had ripped his heart out and stomped on it. I wondered if that someone had been me.

"Grace." His breath caught, and he held me even tighter. "I-I really hate to ask this of you. And I hate myself for it. Bu-but I need you to go back." My eyes widened, and I shook my head frantically. I couldn't go back, I wouldn't go back. "Grace… Malistaire trusts you. For whatever reason, and you're the only one that can get close to him. That can spy on him" I shuddered. "If we're ever going to defeat Malistaire, we need to know his weaknesses. You're the only person that can do this, Grace."

He had a point, and I knew he had a point, but I tried not to see it. Malistaire wasn't above putting his own daughter in a cell, and I shuddered to imagine what he would do this time, especially since I had turned him down once already. Malistaire was evil, and he had no conscience.

I gulped, burying my face in Dylan's robes. "I-I-I'll d-do it." I sobbed into his chest, and he almost crushed me with his embrace.

"I don't want you to. I _really_ don't want you to Grace. I wouldn't ask this if I knew any other way. I swear." His words rolled off of me, splashing into a useless puddle. Nothing he could say would make me feel better about this. He could tell, too, so we just sat there, on the dock next to Torrence, him rocking me in his arms as I wept.

Eventually I ran out of tears, and the others came and found us. I could feel their disapproving glares on the back of my neck, but I didn't care. Dylan quietly explained what I had agreed to do, and none of them seemed very upset about it. Except Digby, just maybe. After an hour or so, they all left, and it began to grow dark. Dylan carried me up all twenty-three flights of stairs to my dorm room and set me gently into my bed. His arms never left me all night.

I awoke the next day, still in Dylan's arms. He was snoring slightly, his breath warm on the back of my neck. I gently rolled out of bed, so as not to disturb him. I hated what I was about to do, but I couldn't stand to say goodbye. I gathered my things, stood in the middle of the room, and teleported.

I landed face first on steaming blood red stone. The heat hit me like a wall as I tried to stand up. Looking around, I saw that I was in the large round room where I had last seen Malistaire. And then it hit me, a huge dark force knocked the wind out of me, sending me sprawling several feet backwards.

"Oh, forgive me, child, I didn't realize it was you…" an arctic voice bellowed from above me. I could tell from the smug smile on Malistaire's lips that he had known exactly who I was. He walked over to me, and a cold death followed him, crumbling my nerves. The last thing I saw was Malistaire's cruel face, twisted in pleasure. He had gotten what he'd wanted.

I was out cold.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21- Grace is Gone**

 **Rowan**

I was awoken by the thunder of two feet down the hall in front of my dorm, and all the way down all twenty-three flights of stairs. I flew out of bed, changing quickly into my robes and darting down the stairs.

Out in the middle of Ravenwood, right in front of Bartleby, stood Dylan, with a strangled look on his face. His bottom lip quivered, and walking up to him, I noticed his clothes were crumpled.

"Dylan?" I called to him, cautiously. He buried his face in his hands.

"S-sh-she's gone… She's gone Rowan…" he said shakily. "She just… Left… Didn't even say goodbye…"

My mouth formed a silent O. Grace was gone. But hadn't he been the one that asked her to go? "Um… Dylan, uh… I'm sure she's fine, okay, she wanted to do this."

His eyes widened. "This is all my fault!" he said, arms dropping to his sides, his face was red. "I just got her back and now she's gone. All because of me. Because I told her to go. She went for me…" A fat tear rolled down his cheek. I squirmed uncomfortably. He was the strong leader, and leaders weren't supposed to cry… I couldn't let the others see him like this.

"Look, Dylan, why don't you just talk to her? Whisper chat Grace, I'm sure she's alright."

"Don't you think I've tried that?" The look in his eyes sent a chill down my spine. My jaw dropped.

"You… You couldn't contact her?"

He shook his head solemnly.

"That… That can't be true… Let me try…" I said uneasily. I hoped this worked. This had to work.

 _Grace? You There?_ I asked cautiously.

I heard a low _Mmmph_ from the other end. My eyes widened, and I gestured wildly at Dylan.

"I think I got her!" I screamed.

 _Grace! Grace! Answer me!_

There was a silence.

 _R-rowan?_

 _Oh thank goodness._ I sighed. _Dylan's been worried sick about you._

 _Dylan?!_

Dylan walked over to me. "You found her, you really found her?! What's she saying Rowan!?" He shook me desperately.

"Shut up I'm talking to her!"

He fell silent.

 _Grace? You still there?_

 _Yeah…_ She moaned. _Darned Malistaire… I'm gonna have a headache for weeks…_

 _What? What'd he do?_

Silence, then a sigh. _He knocked me out… I think… It's no big deal, really. I couldn't have been unconscious that long. But… what time is it?_

I sighed. She was unconscious, that's why she hadn't answered Dylan. I looked down at my wrist to fulfill her request, but I didn't have a watch.

"Dylan." He perked up. "What time is it?" He deflated again.

"Why do you eve-"

"Grace."

"Eight twenty-seven."

 _It's eight twenty-seven in the morning._

 _Okay… Just a couple hours then… Not too bad…_ There was another moan. _Dang, my back aches…_

I couldn't help but release a nervous laugh.

 _Hey…_ She said uneasily.

 _What?_

 _How's…. How's Dylan? He isn't too worried, is he?_

There was a silence from my end this time. I could tell her he was having a major panic attack, but she would probably freak.

"Dylan? She's asking about you…"

Dylan perked up, closing the gap between us in one step. "What? What'd she say? Is she okay? Can I talk to her?"

I bit my lip. "She's fine, she's fine, she just asked how you were. I… I dunno if you should talk to her right now…"

"Oh… Well… Tell her I'm fine… And ask her if she's found anything." He seemed a little disheartened, but I couldn't imagine why.

 _Grace? You still there?_

 _Yep… Trust me, I'm not going anywhere…_ She sounded sad, and I wasn't sure what to do.

 _Well… Dylan's here, he told me to tell you he's fine, and as-_

 _Dylan's_ there _?!_

 _Um… Yes…_

I felt her let go of the connection, and I turned to Dylan startled. His face was contorted with relief, and he looked like he was concentrating. They must have been talking to each other. The conversation went on for a few minutes, and then Dylan went pale.

"What? What's happening?" I demanded.

"She… She's talking to Malistaire."

* * *

Aaaaand that's it. That's all I wrote. However, I did find this juicy little chapter title at the end of my word document:

 **Chapter 22- I Find out that I'm an All-Powerful Being**

 **Grace**

If you enjoyed it and want me to continue writing, then tell me!

P.S. If you made it this far, thank you. I wrote this over a year ago, and when I read back through it I was all too aware that it wasn't exactly my finest work of literature. If I continue writing this, I'll try to improve it!


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